Springing Into Green

Plants and grasses have started to grow and bud throughout the county. This is always a great indicator that plants are ready to pampered by the owner. There are some beneficial landscape maintenance chores that can be done to improve the quality of life of our plants.
First of all, turf can now be fertilized to assist in a healthy growing pattern. Nitrogen is the key nutrient that promotes leaf growth. A general recommendation of 1 to 2 pounds of nitrogen per year is used for most lawns. However, a soil test is still recommended to get an idea of the nutrient levels that are stored in the soil. A soil test will give the recommended fertilization for any given part of your landscape (ex. Lawn, Garden, Landscape).
In order to accomplish a 1-2 pounds of nitrogen, it is important to get the square footage of your lawn area and also understand the numbers on a fertilizer bag. The first number on a fertilizer bag is the % Nitrogen in the total weight of the bag. The second number is % Phosphorus, and the third number is % Potassium. This is typically referred to as N-P-K.
Typical recommendations for Nueces County, from the Texas AgriLife Extension Service Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory, indicated that Ammonium Sulfate (21-0-0) should be applied. If you need to have your soil tested, you can get the forms and information online at http://soiltesting.tamu.edu/. Also, a good site to help figure out how much of a particular fertilizer needs to be applied can be found at http://aggieturf.tamu.edu/aggieturf2/calculators/fertsheet.html. You can also find information to help you calibrate spreader equipment at http://aggieturf.tamu.edu/aggieturf2/calibration/calibration.html. In addition, information on how to take soil samples. http://aggieturf.tamu.edu/aggieturf2/soilsample/soilsample1.html These are great tools to help you save some money on fertilization and deter over application of fertilizers which negatively impacts our bays and estuaries.
In addition, this a great time to trim dead or damaged foliage and branches from trees and shrubs. The new growth and developing buds can assist with shaping and retraining plants to grow in the form that we choose. There is also a great publication that will assist and inform homeowners of best practices and techniques used for trimming at http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/publications/landscape/pruning/pruning.html.